The Butt Blaster Workout

This sequence will tighten and tone your butt by building lean muscle mass in the glutes, says Ngo Okafor, trainer at Peak Performance NYC. You’ll need an elliptical machine with arms to complete this booty poppin’ workout.

5 minute warm-up — Level 7

2 minutes — Level 8 in a half-squat position

1 minute of recovery, making sure that the heels are down (this engages the hamstrings and glutes)

2 minutes — Level 9 in a half squat position

1 minute — Repeat earlier recovery

2 minutes — Level 10 in a half-squat position

1 minute — Repeat earlier recovery

5 minute cool down — Level 7

The Bodyfat Incinerator

Get ready to jumpstart some fat burn on an elliptical machine with arms. “The idea here is to keep the heart rate up without making the work Level too high,” says Okafor.

5 minute warm-up — Level 7

1 minute — Level 8 at a speed of 60 or higher

1 minute — Level 9 at a speed of 55 or higher

1 minute — Level 10 at a speed of 50 or higher

1 minute recovery — Level 7 at a speed of 50

1 minute — Level 8 at a speed of 60 or higher

1 minute — Level 9 at a speed of 55 or higher

1 minute — Level 10 at a speed of 50 or higher

1 minute recovery — Level 7 at a speed of 50

1 minute — Level 8 at the speed of 60 or higher

1 minute — Level 9 at the speed of 55 or higher

1 minute — Level 10 at the speed of 50 or higher

5 minute cool down — Level 7

The Backside Burner

“The elliptical is the perfect tool to tighten up every bit of your backside,” says Shannon Fable, Director of Exercise Programming for Anytime Fitness. This workout will hit your calves, hamstrings, and butt. Focus on moderate SPMs (Strides Per Minute), using resistance and incline to increase intensity.

Warm Up = 3 min Total

Time

SPM

Resistance + Incline

Feeling

3 min

110 – 130

Use a lower resistance & incline to establish your base level of work.

Easy — Moderate

Round 1 = 10 min Total

2 min

120 – 150

Increase resistance & incline 1-2 from your base level of work.

Moderate

2 min

Try to hold the SPM you had in the last 2min

Increase resistance & incline until you begin to feel the work shift to your hamstrings.

Moderate — Hard

2 min

Try to hold the SPM you had in the last 2min

Increase resistance & incline until you begin to feel the work shift to your glutes.

Hard

2 min

110 – 130

Bring the resistance + incline back down to where you were in the warm up.

Moderate — Easy

2 min

110 – 140

Reverse the direction and stride backwards to finish the round.

Easy — Moderate

Round 2 = 10 min Total

Repeat Round 1.Your goal should be to increase the resistance + incline combination while maintaining the SPM from Round 1.

Round 3 = 10 min Total

Repeat Round 2.Your goal should be to increase the resistance + incline combination while maintaining the SPM from Round 1.

Cool Down = 3 min Total

Time

SPM

Resistance + Incline

Feeling

3 min

110 – 130

Bring the resistance + incline back down to warm up levels and begin to recover.

Moderate — Easy

Hit it Hard Workout

“When you ‘hit it hard’, you don’t have to work out as long, and the elliptical is a good, minimal-impact tool for high-intensity workouts,” says Fable. “Keep one eye on the time,” she says. “We’re asking for short bursts of work.”

Warm-UpTwo minutes at 110 – 130 SPM; Use a lower resistance and incline to establish your base level of work. You should be breathing easy and be able to do this level without too much effort.

Three minutes at a slightly higher effort. Increase your SPM by 10-20, and the resistance and incline slightly to move from breathing easy to a moderate effort.

Cool DownBring your SPMs and resistance and incline back to warm-up levels and allow your effort to return to easy.

20-Minute Music Mission

“Music motivates us to push ourselves,” says Heidi Powell, certified personal trainer and co-host of ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss, who created this plan with her current favorite songs. Choose your own faves, or let Powell’s playlist guide your intensity. Use her recommendations for Perceived Exertion (PE) to get yourself sweatin’.

Song 1 Fighter, by Gym Class Heroes (Warm-up) Forward pedaling/No inclineDuring all parts of song except chorus: PE of 2 (out of 10)During chorus: Take your PE to an 8 (out of 10)Option: Increase resistance if needed to reach PE of 8

Song 2 Roar, by Katy PerryBackward pedaling/incline to 5 (out of 10… or 50 percent of machine’s max)During all parts of song except chorus: PE of 3 (out of 10)During Chorus: Take your PE to a 9 (out of 10)Option: Increase resistance if needed to reach PE of 9

Song 3 Lose Yourself, by EminemForward pedaling/incline of 10 (or max)During all parts of song except chorus: PE of 4 (out of 10)During Chorus: Take your PE to a 10 (out of 10) Option: Increase resistance if needed to reach PE of 10

Song 4 Radioactive, by Imagine DragonsBackward pedaling/incline to 5 (out of 10?or 50 percent of machine’s max)During all parts of song except chorus: PE of 3 (out of 10)During Chorus: Take your PE to a 9 (out of 10)Option: Increase resistance if needed to reach PE of 9

Song 5 Madness, by Muse Forward pedaling/no inclineDuring all parts of song except chorus: PE of 2 (out of 10)During Chorus: Take your PE to an 8 (out of 10)Option: increase resistance if needed to reach PE of 8